


reunion

by ouseii02



Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest VIII
Genre: Comfort, Eight is not mute, Gen, Hero is named Eight, Male Friendship, No Romance, Spoilers, and even smaller mention of Jessica's weird fiance, implied Eight/Medea, making fun of Charmless, post standard ending, small mention of Red
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:00:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28970226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ouseii02/pseuds/ouseii02
Summary: After a journey gone by, the heroes of legend meet up at the Farebury bar. Unfortunately, Angelo is the first of the group to arrive, prodding Eight to open up about what they had previously discussed at Savella Cathedral.
Kudos: 2





	reunion

“Well, well, well! Aren’t we the early birds?” Eight craned his head in the direction of a familiar voice. He was stunned he had arrived so early. He had expected Jessica, or Yangus but not Angelo. He seemed more of the type to excuse being ‘fashionably late’. 

“Angelo! Long time no see! How’ve you been?” The hero rose from his seat, jutting an open hand toward the knight.

“Never better, my friend.” he placed his hand in Eight’s, shaking firmly. Maybe it had been all the time they spent apart, but Angelo did have a certain air about him now. He seemed much happier than he had before. “I hope you’ve been doing just as well. Being in charge of the castle guard must certainly have it’s perks, I presume?” 

Eight smiled. “A little bit. I have to say it pales in comparison to all the excitement of adventuring, but it’s not too bad.”

“Ah, of course. I suppose it is enough to reap the reward of spending lucrative amounts of time with such a beautiful princess, right? Hm. Lucky guy.” Angelo teased, causing the other to turn bright red.

“Heh, it’s nothing like that really… I’m mostly busy with guardwork and training. Medea’s been pretty busy herself..” He took a sip of his wine. It wouldn’t do anything to cool his flushed face, but at least he could avoid his friend’s prying gaze. Out of everyone, it had to be Angelo first, didn’t it?

“Nothing between the two of you then? You are rather close.” Angelo surprisingly held his gaze even as the bunny barmaid served his drink. He only gave her a slight wave and charming smile before focusing back on the matter at hand. “I thought something would have sparked between the two of you by now.” He eyed Eight as he drew his glass to his lips. 

“Well—” Eight fumbled, trying to look for the right words, “Ever since the wedding was called off, things have been a bit different, I guess. ”

“So, feelings are still on the table?”

“U-Uh..” He stuttered, “I mean—I haven’t heard her talk about seeing any suitors...”

“Suitors?” Angelo raised a brow. “Didn’t she pick you?” 

“...Huh?”

Slowly, he looked up from his drink. “Princess Medea couldn’t go on with the marriage because she wanted you…” His eyes narrowed, burrowing into Eight’s, “You do know that… right?” 

A single gulp. “...She… No… She had asked me to—” 

“Honestly, Eight..” Angelo threw himself back into his chair, grievance accompanied by an over the top gesture of his back palm leaning against his forehead. His sudden agony caused Eight to jump. “What have you been thinking this whole time? That the two of you were just good friends?” He shook his head in disappointment and reached for the wine bottle at the center of the table, pouring himself more drink. 

“Even then, she’s royalty,” Eight grunted, “I’m her guard. It’s my duty to protect her, not fraternize with her as if we’re of the same status.” 

“Didn't stop you before, did it? Childhood was just an excuse? She’s a royal with no other sense of self! You changed that for her, don’t you realize?” The knight readjusted himself in his chair, sighing deeply as he combed through his bangs. What was supposed to be a caring friend, seemed like an anguished father drowning in disappointment. Admittedly, Eight had seen a similar sight before in King Trode, but His Majesty had never looked that wracked in despair. He awkwardly settled back into a slump in his chair, not knowing what to say.

A minute passed and Angelo exhaled once again and reached for his drink, taking a long swig of red wine. “Goddess—I better be piss drunk before you start with that nonsense again.” 

“Oi! Wot’s this about gettin’ ‘piss drunk?’ Don’t let your saucy ways rub off on the guv’ now!” 

“We’ll finish this later.” Angelo muttered under his breath before rising up to greet the remaining two. “Yangus! Dearest Jessica—So glad you two could finally make it. Eight and I were just chewing the fat, as they say.” His words were sweet and buttery in a matter of seconds. Eight could only muster up a frail smile in the meantime. 

As the other three got situated with one another, Eight observed quietly. Truth be told, Angelo’s words stung. Not because they were harsh, but because they had an underlying bitter truth to them. Angelo’s persona might’ve been that of a playboy, but he certainly knew when to cut the crap and give a harsh dose of reality. 

And as much as he would’ve wanted to elaborate his own points, Jessica and Yangus had already arrived. For now, it’d be best to set it aside and focus on something else. 

“Anyway, sorry we made it here so late. I hope Yangus and I didn’t hold up the party too long.” Jessica pressed her hands in her lap, head tilted in Eight’s direction. “You’ve been so quiet. You aren’t mad at us for leaving you alone with Angelo for so long, are you? I’d understand if you are.”

“Untrue,” Angelo spun the stem of his glass between his fingers, “I’m a constant delight to be around.”

The sorceress rolled her eyes. Eight simply smiled and shrugged. No way in hell was he about to get an argument started. “It’s fine. How’ve you been, Jessica?” 

Jessica gleamed. “I’ve been doing rather well, if I’m being honest! Yangus and I met up on our way over here. He and Red happened to have stopped at Port Prospect the morning I started to make my way over to Farebury! Isn’t that odd?” 

“Oh,” Angelo’s lips twitched into a smile. The food they had been waiting on was finally being served. A large glazed honey ham sat in the middle of their table with a medley of vegetable spreads to rival the savory sweetness. “You should’ve invited Red to dine in with us. Where’s she gone off to?” Each of them began to reach forward and fill their respective plates as Angelo began to slice into their mouth-watering centerpiece. 

Yangus shook his head. “‘Ah offered her a chair for sure, but she ain’t the type o’ bird to go for a bite in a crowded pub. Says they make her feel uncomfortable, like—parts like these, y’know?” The former bandit shrugged. “Mind you, ah’m sure she’s got 'erself a big ol’ pitcher o’ beer right now waitin’ on me to haul ass back on ov’r.”

“I wish she would’ve come in,” Jessica pouted, “Or Princess Medea. Though I guess it wouldn't be right for a lady of her stature to sit down for a pub styled glazed ham, would it?” There was a bit of glumness on their faces the minute Jessica brought it up. She and Yangus had both equally grown attached to the Princess and formally cursed King, that it didn't feel right celebrating without them now that they were back to their former selves. 

Yangus chuckled. “Ah’ve oft’n wondered ‘ow the Princess an’ ol’ Grandad ‘ave been. Ev’ry now an’ then ah hear somefink about Grandad an’ ah can’t 'elp but miss the ol’ codger… even if ‘e were a lil’ batty.” 

“I’m sure they’ve been fine considering she won’t be marrying that Charmless prick,” Jessica scooped into a forkful of heavenly looking mashed potatoes before continuing, “Batty as he is, I’m glad King Trode supported her decision in the end. I couldn’t fathom marrying a fool like that! And to accept it as your duty?! I’d have rather been a horse as well!” 

Angelo furrowed his brow as he lay a piece of ham on her plate. “Weren’t you engaged at the time, Jessica? I could’ve sworn we met a man who claimed to be your fiancé.”

“Hm?” Eight stopped mid forkful, “When?”

“Ah fink ah remember somefink like that…’E looked a bit posh, yeah? Like one o’ ‘em err…”

“Like those traveling bards, right?” Angelo snickered. 

Jessica huffed in annoyance, her face turning a bright shade of red. “I’m right here, you know!” The other three giggled at her response but quickly quieted down. “Regardless, it’s not like I was too keen on the idea of marrying him anyways. He acted as if he was my prince charming!” She took a long sip of her wine before continuing, “Not to the extent of Charmless, mind you. The way he leered at Princess Medea was enough to chill my spine!”

“As if she were a piece o’ ham! Bet that was wot made Grandad reconsider....” Yangus paused to stare at his own slabs of ham before nudging Eight with a smile, “But it was all fanks to the guv’, too! Ah know wiv ‘im on the job, the Princess won’t hafta worry about men like that again!”

“Heh, that’s right..” Eight gave a meek smile before turning back to his meal. The current subject was touching base a little too closely to where he and Angelo had just been. Nervously, his eyes turned in the direction of the knight. 

Nothing.

Relief settled in. Angelo wasn’t the type of person to dredge up something like that, but still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his friend was silently judging him at any mere mention of the wedding or Medea. ‘We’ll finish this later.’ Angelo had said. Eight slid his knife through his dinner thoughtlessly. It felt like a threat. 

As the night went on, so did his thoughts. The events that happened at Savella Cathedral played in his mind on repeat. Saving her from that dreadful oaf wasn’t due to his own feelings. To Eight, Medea’s own happiness came before his own. Beating Rhapthorne was one thing, but interrupting a royal wedding? He could almost laugh. Jessica had always been right about him, he was a total pushover.

Admittedly, it was due to Angelo’s repeated interference that allowed him to finally take control of the situation. It was Angelo who had been consistent with making sure he was okay the whole journey to the church. 

His eyes darted back to his friend. The knight still seemed to pay him no mind. It was as if their conversation had never happened at all.

Eight gave a quiet sigh. Meanwhile, the conversation had moved on whether he had been an active participant or not. He took his last few minutes of silence to clear his plate.

“...An’ that’s when Red and I ‘ad a short scuff wiv some pirates who thought they could get one in over us! Hah! We sure gave that lot wot for, heh heh.”

“Hearing stories like that makes me miss our little adventures. Alexandria’s been so dull. I might just join you and Red someday, Yangus.” Jessica joked.

The bandit lit up. “Why not! Ah’m sure you’d be right at ‘ome accounting for all our shipments. It’s not too bad of a gig, if Ah do say so meself!” he then turned to the other two with a big grin on his face, “Y’know, it’s not a ‘alf bad idea! Angelo can take care o’ the ‘eavy liftin’ an’ the guv’ would be a great egg-o-shinator! We could even take the magic ship an’ sail round like ol’ times! That’d be right nice...”

“You can keep dreaming.” Angelo took a long sip of his wine as Yangus immediately deflated.

“You’d have to count me out, too. It’s a nice thought, but I have to watch over Alexandria, for Alistair’s sake.” 

The bandit shook his head at the two before his eyes locked in on Eight, who happened to look up at the wrong time. He laughed heartily at the hero’s confusion. “Nah, Ah’m jus’ jokin’, guv’! Though, maybe you could come for a visit when ya get the chance, yeah? We could do wiv a right skullbashin’ whenever ya fixin’ for a fight!”

“For sure!” Eight replied happily. 

“Well,” Jessica interjected, “I don’t know about you all, but I do suppose it’s high time we start getting out of here.” Looking around, the bar was beginning to clear for the night. The group nodded in agreement and began clearing out themselves as well as pitching in for the tab. 

Outside the bar, though, Farebury still seemed rather lively. Moonlight shone down brightly as they walked down to the main path. Dancers paraded about outside and Angelo stole several sly looks every now and then. A little further down the path, a spiky silhouette stood by the town doors, seemingly flagging down somebody.

“Oi! Looks like Red’s caught up wiv us, innit?” Yangus scratched his head sheepishly, “Guess it’s time to go.” Eight strained his eyes staring into the bleak darkness of the night. The light of her torch almost touched the floor, illuminating her boots rather than her face as she walked out of the town. As nice as it would’ve been to greet the bandit, he was sure she didn’t want the extra attention she was already getting from the confused townsfolk. “Awright then! C’mon, Jess! Let’s shove off. Me n’ Red’ll see ya to Alexandria.” 

The sorceress looked downcast as she turned to the remaining two. “Right then, it’s goodbye again.” She paused for a moment before giving them both an unexpected hug each. “You two take care now, okay? I really do miss our adventuring, so you have to promise you’ll come see me every once in a while, no matter how busy you get. No jokes, Angelo. I mean it.”

He smiled before throwing his hands up in lackluster defeat. “You just need say the word, darling.”

“It was nice seeing you again, Jessica. I’ll do my best to make sure to visit this time, I promise.” Eight nodded. 

“Make it a holiday and bring the King and Princess along! I’ll be waiting!” She gave a final wave before joining Yangus up ahead. 

“Right then! We’ll be seein’ ya! Take care, guv’! You too, Angelo!” The spiky headed brute called out to them. Angelo and Eight remained at the top of the stairs, waving them off until it was clear that the doors of the town were closed behind them.

Once his arm dropped back to his side, Eight turned to face the other. He already started walking down the stairs, leaving the hero a bit behind. So much for watching each other’s back come nightfall. “Hey!” he grumbled as he scrambled to catch up. 

The red-donned knight turned to greet him with a mischievous look, though it was quickly countered by a raised brow the moment the light of a street torch grazed Eight’s face. He stopped at the foot of the step to give the hero a bit of time to catch his breath. “What’s with the face? You look like I’m about to give you the dressing down of the century! I’ve been preparing my apology all dinner, you know.” 

Eight’s heart skipped a beat. At this point he had totally forgotten about continuing their previous discussion. A second of silence fell between them before he answered. “Apologize? For what? You were spot on about everything.”

“Sounding right doesn’t mean I wasn’t wrong for the way I treated you,” he replied, taking account of Eight’s sudden change in disposition, “It wasn’t my intention to get so worked up, but—sometimes you’re so dull-witted I don’t know how else to get through to you. So, I guess in a way you’re right. Consider this a half apology, then.” The latter half came out in an upbeat tone which wasn’t too rare for Angelo, mainly for how deceiving it sounded. 

The hero laughed, “So, it’s not an apology after all? And what was it supposed to sound like before you halved it?” 

“Can’t say I remember,” he chuckled, “After all that wine, it seems my memory’s a little hazy.”

The two burst into a roar of laughter. Whether it was the intoxication settling in, or the memories of a journey long gone, it seemed like they both couldn’t help it. And thankfully, there was no feeling of underlying tension anymore.

Angelo paused, raising a hand to his chin to pose thoughtfully. “Hm.” He gave it a few more minutes before eyeing the other cautiously. “Can I ask you something, Eight?”

A gentle sigh left his lips, and once again Eight felt the feeling of tension grip at his lungs. “Go for it.” 

“After everything, you’re really willing to let Medea go that easily? Because as much as it isn't any of my business, I can't in good faith let this all pass you by,” he stopped in his tracks and placed his hands on his hips in a scolding manner, “You’re starting to act like you don't care… You do care, don’t you?” 

Eight struggled to meet his gaze. “If you don't care anymore, I’d rather you say it outright,” Angelo continued, “I know I said before that I wouldn’t speak anymore of it, but, well, I can’t say I’ve haven’t been curious. You’re easy to read, you know. And I can tell that none of this has been easy for you.”

They reached the bottom of the steps, and the knight looked back at his friend, who stood silently with his head hung low. “I know I’m being rather harsh and insistent, but just know that I do care about you, Eight, no matter what choice you make in the end.” His voice and features had softened, something Eight had rarely seen him do. If he did before, it had always seemed disingenuous, but right now it felt comforting. He exhaled sharply and felt the tension in his shoulders drop against the weight of Angelo’s hand. 

“You’re still right, you know,” he flicked Angelo’s hand from it’s perch on his shoulders, “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to stop the wedding, or even put myself in Medea’s place. It’s me who owes you, Angelo.” 

There was a short silence after his thanks. The silver haired knight chuckled in confusion. It felt strange to receive thanks after much of his persistence, but nonetheless, he welcomed it. A healthy sign of a hero growing past his inhibitions. “You don’t say... I’m flattered, really.” He picked up his pace again with Eight now following alongside him. 

“I’m serious,” his eyes finally felt strong enough to meet Angelo’s, and his words began to sound like they held that familiar heroic weight again, “It’s my fault for not being able to see past the surface level. I wanted to support her like I always had, but I failed her.”

“I tried to ignore whatever I felt for her for so long now. She made peace with marrying a man she’d never meet until her wedding day. If she was happy, so was I, y’know? Even after getting to meet Charmles myself, I wasn’t going to say anything. I told myself I wouldn’t get in the way…”

Their footsteps stopped in tandem and the eye contact between them fell, with Eight meeting the empty path ahead with fierce eyes. It surprised Angelo. For a minute, it seemed like he had met again with his old meek personality. Doubt had once again seeped into his heart and made him feel lost once more.  


The hero took a deep breath before continuing, “At night, she’d talk to me in my sleep. It took me so long to realize she was asking me for help… to find her another way out.”

He watched it all start to click into place. Smiling, he bumped his fist to the other’s shoulders, waking him up from all that startling realization. “So, then, what’s your stance on the situation now? You’ve dragged me around this long, you may as well indulge me.”

Pushing open the town gate, Eight’s eyes shifted toward the sky full of stars. “I...” He dug his hands into his cardigan’s pockets, careful not to disturb little Munchie nestled deep within, “I want to tell her. But…If I tell her my true feelings, won’t I be just as bad as Charmless?”

The other tilted his head. “Like Charmless? How so?”

“She felt obligated to honor a marriage she didn’t want. I don’t want to force her into something like that again.” 

Angelo smiled. Ever considerate. Along the way, the group could always rely on their leader to be so concerned about the well being of others. It was a fitting trait for him. No one else pulled it off so well. “Well, you’re right about her being a people pleaser. And I can’t say I know the Princess all too well, considering she was a horse a majority of the time, but you’re right to consider the possibility.” 

“Still,” he murmured, “I can already tell you a confession wouldn’t exactly go the way you picture it. She’d probably say yes before you even finished asking.”

“...Do you think so?” He asked without looking up.

“You’re a fool to think otherwise, my friend!” Angelo gave him a hearty slap to the back, chuckling as the other nearly fell forward from the force. 

Eight couldn’t help but laugh himself. He’d never believed he’d end up hearing this sort of reassuring advice from the ever sarcastic lady killer himself, but it brought a large deal of comfort to his mind. “I’m glad one of us feels confident enough.”

“Being a coward doesn’t suit you, Eight, even in the pursuit of love.” He delivered a few more hearty slaps to the other’s back, “Love is blind! And you’ve seem to have caught the worst case of it! Oblivious to what’s right in front of you. It’ll work out. Trust me.”

While in his pitiful stupor, the former templar had already made headway for the path ahead. A burst of energy bit at his feet, encouraging him to catch up. “Thank you, Angelo… Really. I needed to hear that. .”

“Hey—Don’t sweat it.” There was that familiar wave of his glove—already trying to dissipate the heartfelt words exchanged. “We’re in it for the long haul, aren’t we?”

He shook his head with a smile, startling Angelo with the same slap on the back he had been given earlier. “Yeah, no doubt about it!”

**Author's Note:**

> super excited to post my first fanfic on ao3! 
> 
> i first wrote this fanfic last year after i played through dq8 the first time and man what a game! still haven't been able to get over it and i love these characters so much, so i'm happy to finally post this.
> 
> i found angelo's sarcastic personally to be very funny throughout the game, so i wrote this, hoping to show how much influence he had as a character. 
> 
> thanks to everyone who gives this a read. i'm hoping to write some more in the future!


End file.
